7, Intensive stream surveys were conducted 

 in 1957 to recover tagged fish and to fix the 

 time of their arrival on the spawning grounds. 



8. The numbers of red salmon caught each 

 fishing period in the commercial fishery ad- 

 jacent to the mouth of the river were recorded 

 for comparison with the numbers caught in 

 the fyke traps. 



Description of Test-Fishing Sites 



The initial test-fishing site, which was 

 located about 11 miles upriver from the 

 mouth, was maintained aU 3 years and is 

 referred to as the index trap site (fig. 1). 

 The main factors considered in choosing this 

 site were: 



1. Salmon were expected to migrate through 

 the area. 



2. The site was adapted to the mechanical 

 operation of the traps. 



3. Traps could be located above the influence 

 of mean high tides, but as close to the commer- 

 cial fishery as possible. 



4. Equipment and supplies could be trans- 

 ported easily because the site was close to a 

 highway. 



At the index site, two traps were fished close 

 to the shore in the same place all 3 years to 

 provide indices of the daily and the total 

 escapements. In 1958 two additional traps 

 were fished 25 and 40 feet offshore to provide 

 data for comparison with the traps fished 

 close to shore. 



The river at the index site was approxi- 

 mately 300 feet wide and flowed straight for 

 one-fourth mile. The river banks in this area 

 ranged from high, steep bluffs to low, flat, 

 nearly submerged land. The water depths 

 varied from 4 to 9-1/2 feet at individual trap 

 locations, and the water level was affected by 

 runoff and extreme high tides. The mean cur- 

 rent velocity was 4 feet per second, with a 

 range of 1.79 to 8.80 feet per second. The 

 turbidity, as measured by a Secchi disk, 

 ranged from 3.0 to 12.0 inches, with a mean 

 of 8.3 inches. 



In 1959 four traps were installed at a site 

 18 miles upstream from the index trap site 

 to recover tagged fish and to provide esti- 

 mates of migration rates and additional indices 

 of the magnitude of the escapement. This is 

 referred to as the upstream trap site. 



Description of Fyke Traps 



The fyke traps used were cylindrical and 

 were 18 feet long and 10 feet in diameter. 



Figure l,--Commercial fishing area, test-fishing sites, and principal red salmon spawning areas of the 



Kenai River system. 



